The lawsuit alleges that Leopold asked Anne Arundel County Police to conduct criminal background checks and other information on people who were suing him for sexual harassment and others including political opponents, critics, and even the president of the county chapter of the NAACP.

"It's really an outrage," said Deborah Jeon, legal director of the ACLU of Maryland which filed the suit on behalf of 11 plaintiffs.

"The primary purpose of this lawsuit is to make sure that what went on comes to light, and we can make sure that this kind of thing doesn't become more common."

Jeon told WBAL News that the lawsuit, filed under the Maryland Public Information Act, seeks the records collected by the police.

Among the plaintiffs are Karla Hamner and Joan Harris, two former members of Leopold's staff who are suing Leopold for sex discrimination and retaliatory termination. Their lawyer in that suit, John Singleton is also a plaintiff.

Another plaintiff is Marvenise Harris, a state employee, who filed a complaint against Leopold in 2009 alleging Leopold insulted and propositioned her in an employee cafeteria line.

Former County Councilman Thomas Redmond, Sr., and former school board member Eugene Patterson are also plaintiffs, as is civil rights activist Carl Snowden.

Through a spokesman, Leopold declined to comment on this lawsuit.

Next month, Leopold is scheduled to go on trial in a criminal case brought by the Maryland State Prosecutor's Office, for allegedly forcing his security detail to do personal and campaign work.